The Long Walk
by Skelton
Summary: 9:38 Dragon. The Hero of Ferelden resurfaces in Orlais. His journey will take him from The Crossroads to Weisshaupt, the Orlesian Court and the mysterious dwarves of Kal-Sharok. Augustus 'Gus' Cousland is searching for a cure to the Calling...will he be able to evade death once more? The tale of the Warden before, during and after the events of Inquisition.
1. Chapter 1

Gus stepped off the wooden cart and swiftly to one side as the convoy continued on its way to Vol Dorma. He called his thanks to the driver, a lonely fellow who appeared to appreciate the company since Gus joined him north of Nevarra.

He waited for the remaining few carts to pass, taking the moment to tighten the straps on his pack and roll his shoulders in an effort to loosen the muscles. He crossed the Imperial Highway and vaulted over the small wall which lined it, heading for an overgrown path which would have been almost indistinguishable from the rest of the landscape unless you were looking for it. It was a road less travelled, one that Grey Wardens found themselves on often.

His trek was winding and treacherous, and while the hours passed the green landscape gave way to crags and dust. Gus was growing tired of persistently squinting and wiping his face clean of dirt. He finally spotted a small crevice to rest. It provided much needed shelter from the arid scrubland. As he dropped his pack on the floor he let out a sigh and collapsed against the rocks.

"Never thought I'd miss Ferelden more than I do right now," he mumbled to himself. Gus found that on such a lonely road, speaking his thoughts out loud made him feel less isolated. It helped...slightly; but the truth was that he had never travelled such a distance and during the Blight he always had lots of company. Even more recently, when he moved the Eluvian with Morrigan and Kieran from the Dragonbone Wastes to the Dales he had his family with him. As the wind whipped around into the crag, Gus scowled.

"I'd even take bloody Orlais over this."

He shook his head, the amount of dust flying from his hair making him cough. He grabbed his water skin, taking a few gulps of water to try and clear his mouth. Thankfully Gus was pretty sure he was nearing his destination; well he hoped he was. Estimating journey time had never been his strong point and he used to leave that to people like Zevran and Leliana; which didn't help with his current state of loneliness. He let out a sigh and his mind wandered to how the hell he ended up in the Anderfels in the first place. Was he even out of Tevinter yet? Too bad there wasn't a soul around to ask.

* * *

"After trekking through the Brecilian Forest we finally found our way into the old elven temple. And there they were: Werewolves." It had developed into a routine for Gus to regale Kieran with a good story before bed. Kieran's curious mind always wanted to hear of his fathers' brave adventures and Gus wasn't one to disappoint. "Alistair almost turned and ran back to the Dalish Camp, he was so scared.

"But a stern look from your mother stopped him. He was more scared of her than most other things, even then," Kieran laughed softly at that as Gus paused. He could see Kieran's eyes start to get heavy as he was drifting off. "We made our way further into the temple, facing off against werewolves left and right, even fighting a dragon who guarded a giant pile of treasure. Finally we reached their leader, Witherfang…"

Despite his excitement Kieran's eyes slowly shut as Gus spun his story and his breathing slowed. Once he was sure the boy was asleep, Gus reached out and extinguished the candle and quietly backed out of the tent; pulling the tabs across the entrance. He straightened and turned towards the campfire. Morrigan was sitting on the large fallen pillar they had started the fire next to, completely engrossed in the book she was reading.

"The Alistair stories always send him off the quickest, remind me to tell His Majesty when see him next."

Morrigan looked up at him with a small smile.

"'Tis little wonder as to why," she commented.

"He'll be surprised by you whenever it is when we see him again, you know." Gus said as he began to walk over to sit with Morrigan.

"How so?"

Gus sat and brought his foot up to rest on the pillar.

"You've changed quite a lot, haven't you noticed?"

Morrigan raised an eyebrow and out of the corner of his eye Gus saw she started idly fiddling with the pages of the book on her lap. After a few moments of silence it was obvious that she wasn't going to respond.

"How's the spell coming along?" he asked, changing the subject. Morrigan gave a frustrated sigh.

"Slowly. 'Tis much harder than the one I performed when he was a babe. I have all that I require and the ability to perform it, but there is…a disconnect." She shut the tome with force and dropped it to the ground beside her. It landed with a thud.

"Perhaps you need a change of scenery, The Crossroads are a bit bland once you get over the fact you're between dimensions."

"On the contrary, what could be more inspirational than the most magically mysterious place we can comprehend?"

Gus frowned and studied her face. It had been six years since he'd first met Morrigan in the Korcari Wilds before Ostagar. He remembered it so well; it was like a bubble in time. After fighting through pockets of darkspawn, he had been pretty shattered. He'd just lost his parents and his home to Howe's betrayal and as a result was an emotional mess. Being thrust straight into the Grey Wardens helped with that. It gave him something to focus on and made him feel useful, especially after the battle.

But when he met Morrigan, he didn't know what to think; he'd never seen anyone like her before. In the whirlwind that was the early days of the blight, she gave him perspective and kept him on his toes. She was snappy, scornful and solitary. Gus wanted to figure her out so badly. As baffling as it might sound, she actually might have saved him from having a breakdown.

Now, their relationship was almost completely different. They were different. Everything that had happened in the years following the end of the Blight had changed things. Gus knew Morrigan had placed trust in him and he in her that neither of them could have expected.

In short, Gus knew Morrigan and he knew when she was being pissy. And that she was especially pissy if there was something she wanted to do but couldn't. Like right now.

"'Twould seem you have drifted off, my love." She commented and Gus realised he was staring absently at her.

"I was just debating in my head whether you were going to continue taking out your irritation on me and, if so, how subtly I could drift off to sleep."

The jibe had that desired result.

"Hah. Would you rather I expel my irritation with magic? That could have undesirable physical effects, of course."

"Could it have _desirable_ physical effects?" Gus countered with a smirk.

"That's a risk you'll have to take."

"Hmmm," Gus hummed as he leaned in to kiss her. It didn't take long until they had made their way to their tent across the other side of camp and as they undressed Gus thought that this was better than any outcome he had envisioned a few minutes prior.

Gus woke the next morning with the eerie light of The Crossroads. As he stretched and shuffled about, Morrigan began to stir as well. Her long dark hair fanned out around her adding a youthful softness to her normally sharp features.

"It's another beautiful morning in Maker-knows-where." Gus grinned as her eyes opened. He enjoyed using that phrase here, even though he was never devout, he felt after seeing the Eluvians there was a weight to the story of Andraste and the Maker that had not existed before. Whether they had any influence now, however, Gus doubted very much.

"Indeed. Another day to try and do this damned spell."

"Morrigan, its way too early for you to start complaining about the spell already," Gus said before Morrigan could say anymore.

"'Tis frustrating, is all. Kieran cannot stay here forever and I do not wish him to, but Flemeth will undoubtedly interfere at the first chance she gets. I must hide him from her when we return to Thedas."

"I know. But you need to relax, though. There's not a rush to get Kieran back home. Even if the spell takes a couple more weeks, he won't have missed out on so much. He's still so young,"

Gus turned over onto his belly and propped himself up with his elbows, looking down on Morrigan to his left. He took a deep breath knowing the topic he was about to broach would be none too pleasant.

"I've been thinking about the Calling."

Any lingering sleepiness that lay in Morrigan's eyes quickly disappeared as she sat up.

"You're not dreaming about it?" Morrigan asked with earnest and a frown. Gus shook his head.

"No no, not at all," he said to quickly placate Morrigan's concern, "I don't know how much time it will be before it starts, but I don't want to sit around and wait for it."

Gus sighed and pointedly avoided Morrigan's gaze, looking instead at his pillow. He struggled to put into words what he had to say next.

"I can't go on knowing that one day my mind will betray me and I'll either die fighting darkspawn in the Deep Roads or become a...ghoul," Gus said softly. "Hardly anyone knows anything about it. I need to at least look into it and then even…see if I can cure it. Like Alistair's mother managed to do. Otherwise, I feel...I feel weak."

Gus slowly raised his head to look at Morrigan and she was staring him dead in the eye, her golden irises boring into him. Gus both hated and loved that he still couldn't decipher all of Morrigan's many different stares, but slowly the lines of her face softened.

"I understand. It would be unlike you to ignore the opportunity that Fiona presents."

Gus nodded slowly, knowing that she understood the desire to have control over your future, rather than letting tradition or someone else decide it for you.

"I'll need to go to Weisshaupt and its probably best I went alone."

"I agree. Kieran can go nowhere beyond the Eluvian without this spell and even if it were ready I expect we would draw one too many unwanted questions." Morrigan paused in thought before continuing, "How did you explain your survival to the Orlesian Wardens in Amaranthine?"

"I didn't, really. Everyone was flung straight into the fight with the Architect. I don't know what the Wardens think now. Maybe they assumed I died belatedly or are still trying to figure it out." Honestly, Gus hadn't really thought about this. _What does Ferelden think of me now?_ _Am I a mystery or a hero? Or both?_ "If I feign ignorance with the Wardens then nobody will be the wiser. Eventually, no one will care.

"When we go back to Thedas, no one will see you and Kieran and immediately assume we performed an ancient ritual to direct the Old God's soul into the boy, thus saving my life and preserving the soul in one go. Apart from Flemeth. I don't think either of us plan on seeing her ever again, though."

"True enough. I'm sure there will be some other crisis that will direct any prying eyes elsewhere, if there were any. No fuss has to be made, by us or anyone else and if we treat it as such then no fuss shall be made," Morrigan said with confidence. If anyone knew about being as inconspicuous as possible while being the most conspicuous person around, it was Morrigan. "I hear Weisshaupt has a great library, if you see anything interesting-"

"I'll nick it for you, I promise." Gus smiled as Morrigan did.

"That's my Warden," she murmured as she leaned up and kissed Gus.

As they both got up and dressed, Gus's thoughts turned to Kieran. _I'll have to buck up and tell him properly, not like Father used to tell me he was going away; if he didn't cop out and get Mother to do it. I can't imagine this will be easy for him; Morrigan and I are all he's ever known. _He followed Morrigan out and chucked a log on the dwindling embers. With a deft flick of the hand, Morrigan brought the campfire to life again just as Kieran emerged from his tent.

_No,_ Gus concluded, _not easy; but necessary. Necessary otherwise he'll have to deal with me being gone a lot longer than a couple of months._

* * *

Gus was absentmindedly twisting Morrigan's ring when he sensed it. Darkspawn. It was strange, after all these years to suddenly feel the presence of darkspawn again.

He stood and grabbed his longsword, Kallak, from the leather sheath that was slung around his pack. As soon as it hit the air, Kallak's charge let loose its electrical power. It was a sword that had served him well since he acquired it in the thaig beneath Amaranthine. Listening carefully, he advanced to the edge of the crag. He could hear the unceremonious sound of darkspawn stumbling through the dirt around to the right. Unsure as to how many there were, he stayed hidden by the rocks until they emerged in front of him.

_Four_, he thought. Now was definitely not the time to be speaking his thoughts out loud.

Wasting no time, he padded up behind the Hurlock at the back and wrapped his arm around his shoulders. He felt the intake of a surprised breath just before he sliced Kallak across his throat and let him drop to the floor. Quickly, as the other three began to turn at the sound of the body dropping to the dirt, he drew his war axe from his belt and threw it at the Genlock on the far left. There was an ever-satisfying _thud _as it found its target. The remaining two Hurlocks drew their swords and brought up their shields.

As the first charged at him, Gus dropped and rolled to the left, bringing Kallak up as he rose to his feet. He felt his arm jar as the sword made contact with the Hurlock's leg. It gurgled as the electricity discharged into the rest of its body. Gus turned and swung Kallak at the Hurlock's back, cutting through the thin armour, before reaching down and grabbing his axe from the chest of the fallen Genlock in one swift movement.

He just managed to take a deep breath and turn slightly before the final Hurlock leapt at him, his sword swinging down at Gus's head. With no time to dodge, he shoved forward into the oncoming attack; the Hurlock's body slamming into him. Gus sprawled back onto the ground, while his foe stumbled above him. The axe was buried in the creature's shoulder and its whole left side was slouched, seemingly unusable.

Its sword fell to the floor and it screamed a guttural cry, slamming its shield down on Gus's chest which knocked the wind out of him. Gasping in a breath, Gus rolled and kicked out with his feet, hoping to knock it off balance. He realised he had just kicked air and scrambled up, immediately turning and swinging Kallak around until it splintered into the Hurlock's shield and crunched its arm into its body. With a last heave of effort Gus jabbed his sword up, under its armour, shoving it as high as he could. The creature collapsed against him and Gus let Kallak drop, the Hurlock with it, to the dirt.

He tried to slow his jagged breathing as he glanced at the darkspawn lying around him. The Hurlock that first charged for him was twitching and scrambling its uninjured leg. Gus knelt down and heaved the Hurlock next to him over, retrieving his sword and axe with his remaining strength. He walked over to the dying Hurlock and finished him off with a swift blow to the head.

"Maker."

Gus had forgotten how much stamina combat took. It had been a long time since he had to fight like that. He slowly began to clean up, wiping his sword and axe with a cloth from his pack and sheathing them, washing his hands from the water skin and drinking deeply from it to wet his dry throat. After a few minutes recovery rest back in the crag, Gus gathered his things and set off again. He could see in the distance the fortress Weisshaupt sitting atop a great, rocky hill just to the right of the almost setting sun. The central tower was looming ominously over the landscape, a reminder of the powerful force the Grey Wardens used to be to all of Thedas, not just the Anderfels. It would only take him another hour or so to reach the gates and the thought of getting out of his dreary, dirty surroundings was very appealing. He set off once more.

He wasn't really sure what to expect from the Grey Wardens stationed there. For starters, he was quite sure no-one would recognise him. His appearance had changed quite a bit since he left Thedas through the Eluvian. Beside the fact he was five years older, his hair had darkened over the years, and also grown down past his chin since he left Orlais. That, combined with a short and ragged beard that Gus was sure Morrigan would despise, meant that he looked more like a common farmer than a Teyrn's son, or Hero of Ferelden. Considering that he was far from Ferelden and had most likely never met any of the Wardens currently in Weisshaupt, there was a good chance he could pass himself off as just another Warden.

Gus new that anonymity would only help him so far. While up until that point it had enabled him to maneuver his way through Orlais and Nevarra and get this far without being called back to Ferelden by Alistair or Maker-knows whoever else wanted him to champion their cause. But with the Wardens of Weisshaupt once again being Warden-Commander Gus Cousland again would be beneficial. For a start, it would give him an official respectable rank to access the information he needed and enough influence as the Hero of Ferelden to blag his way past anything else.

Although news would eventually spread that he had resurfaced it would be slow, at first just amongst Wardens, and take a while to reach those in Ferelden who would act on it. He could deal with that. He didn't expect to be absent for society indefinitely. He _liked_ who he was after the Blight, the gravitas that he had. It felt good to have earned a title rather than just to be born into one.

His tired legs were taking the last few paces up to the gates of the fortress when a bellowing voice reached him.

"Who goes there?"

Gus arched his back, looking up at the battlements in the dusk. Two figures were looking down on him.

"Warden-Commander Cousland. I'm making a long overdue visit."


	2. Chapter 2

The crude map Gus had scratched into the ground with a rock was in front of them.

"Weisshaupt is…" Gus ran his hovering hand up and slightly to the right of the 'V' that marked Val Royeaux, tapping the spot with his finger. "Here. That's where I'll be going." He glanced down at Kieran, who was kneeling next to him with his head resting on his hands, looking at the map. Gus scratched an 'X' where Weisshaupt was. He marked a line from Val Royeaux all the way to the X, following the line of the Imperial Highway. On the ground in front of him, it didn't look nearly as long of a journey as Gus knew it was; but he wasn't about to tell Kieran that. "It's not very far; I'll be back before you know it."

"What about bedtime stories?" Kieran asked. It almost reassured Gus that that was all he was worrying about.

"I'm sure your Mother will tell you some great stories, won't you?" he directed the question to Morrigan, who was sitting crossed legged on the other side of the roughly scratched map. The spell book that she had been studying over the past week was, for once, set aside.

"You may have to give me some pointers on that front, my love. If you remember the stories Mother told me…" She trailed off, a slightly pleading look on her face.

"Of course," Gus smiled at her, before looking back down at his son, "In that case, Kieran, I can guarantee that your bedtime stories will be better than ever. You'll want your Mother to tell them every night."

Kieran looked up from the map to Morrigan. Her eyes lit up and she smiled at him.

"You may even help me with the spell I'm working on, little man." She whispered conspiratorially to him.

"Wow, Kieran, even I'm not allowed to do that!" Gus grinned. "So. Are you okay with this?"

Kieran seemed to consider the situation. He looked back down at the lines drawn in the dirt and traced the path that Gus had drawn, then turned and smiled up at him.

"Yes, if you tell me one more story before you go, please Father."

"I think I can manage that. One more."

* * *

"If you'll follow me, Warden-Commander," the warden said as Gus stepped through the gates and into the main courtyard of Weisshaupt.

Gus nodded at her request and fell into step beside the red head. She looked to be too young to have been conscripted during the Fifth Blight.

"Are you Anders, Warden?" he asked her.

"Yes, from Kassel to the north originally. You're a lot further away from home than I am, Warden-Commander." They were walking towards the left hand set of grand steps which led up towards the main tower that he saw on the final stretch of his journey. The structures were made out of a light grey stone which Gus had never seen before and presumed was locally mined from the Anderfels, or traded in from neighbouring Tevinter back when the fortress was built. The main tower itself was flanked by two smaller towers, each connected to the main tower by what looked like stone covered walkways.

They passed a familiar scent as they crossed the courtyard which didn't take Gus long to identify; horses. Indeed, on his left were large stables curving round beyond the base of the steps. The bustle of activity reminded Gus of Highever many years ago. Stable hands, most likely from the closest village, were flitting around the stables like bees. A not unfamiliar, but certainly well buried, feeling of homesickness bubbled to the surface. It had been a very long time since he had last been home. As they began their ascent, an officer's deep voice bellowed and drew Gus's attention back to the stairs they were climbing. As the voice continued to fill the air, he felt strangely thankful that Duncan never had the chance to drill Alistair and himself before Ostagar. Gus hated how petty rank could be and Alistair would have just been downright hopeless.

"The parade ground, Warden-Commander." His guide commented as they reached the top of the steps. It was a large, rectangular yard with two groups of Wardens on parade. They were lined up, apparently practising, something that reminded Gus of Highever yet again. He had never seen so many Wardens in one place. He almost felt isolated from them, rather than a part of something, as he realised that he never really trained to be Warden. Officially, that is. The blight happened; Alistair and himself had to step up and do what needed to be done. It made Gus feel suddenly very uneasy and unsure of himself. This young warden next to him probably knew ten times as much as Gus did about regulation and history.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry," Gus said, suddenly realising how rude he had been. "I'm Augustus, but please call me Gus otherwise I end up sounding like a prick. Even August is bearable, seeing as I've learnt over the years that Gus is a popular dog's name; just my luck. And you are?" He looked expectantly at the red headed Warden next to him. He couldn't believe he hadn't introduced himself. _Idiot. Bryce would be livid. I guess this is what spending so much time excluded from society will do to you._

"I'm Wren, Warden-Commander. A pleasure to meet you," she frowned slightly before continuing, "I'm only showing you to the Chamberlain."

_Chamberlain? Should I know who that is? _From the casual manner in which Wren had said it, Gus thought that yes, he probably should know who that is. He just nodded in response, opting for silence instead of a display of his ignorance. As they passed through the centre of the parade ground, between the two groups of Wardens, those on parade were dismissed and began chatting and moving off. Some passed right by him and Gus noted that even if anyone recognised him they didn't pay him any attention. They were probably used to visiting Wardens coming to Weisshaupt from all over Thedas. He was no different.

They reached the doors of the central tower and Gus followed Wren through into a room that was much bigger than he thought it would be. It was lined with statues of griffons and men and women who Gus assumed were past First Wardens. He asked Wren and she confirmed that they were. The Grey Warden banner hung from the wall at the far end of the hall behind a modest looking throne.

"I didn't think the Grey Wardens were much for symbols like that." He glanced at Wren and gestured to the stone throne.

"They're not…anymore. A long time ago, when they had more political power across Thedas rather than just here in the Anderfels they were more inclined to maintain an image. It was the First Warden's, but as he is rarely here it's left empty. The Chamberlain's office is this way."

They carried on towards the end of the hall-but-not-quite and followed a corridor around to the left. There were several doors leading off each way but Wren knocked on the last one they came across. A voice beckoned them inside.

The Chamberlain's office was nothing special. There were stacks of books everywhere, as the shelves that lined the walls were full of scrolls and tomes. Gus got the instant impression that the Chamberlain didn't usually receive visitors. The room's untidy state wasn't the only indication. There was a desk shoved over to the back of the room under one of two springline windows, facing away from the door, and the Chamberlain himself didn't even look up from his work when Gus and Wren walked in.

"If this isn't important then simply turn around, leave and come back later," the elf said as though he had said it many times before.

"Do I class as important?" Gus wondered aloud. He raised his eyebrows and looked across at Wren. She shrugged.

"I'm here with Warden-Commander Cousland, he's-"

"From Ferelden," the Chamberlain finished, coming to his feet and turning to face them. "I know who my Warden-Commanders are. Dismissed." He was probably ten years or so older than Gus, but he always found it hard to tell with elves.

"Chamberlain. Warden-Commander," acknowledged Wren before turning on her heel and leaving, shutting the door behind her.

The Chamberlain smoothed his platinum hair back with both hands and looked Gus up and down. "I'm Dagor, Chamberlain of the Grey and you…you are the Hero of Ferelden. This is quite the meeting."

"It good to meet you, Chamberlain. I've come a long way and I've got lots of work to do," Gus said, making it clear he came with purpose. A small smile appeared on Dagor's face.

"There is no need to address me as such; it is only by technicality that I outrank you. We do not practise it with Warden-Commanders. Sit, if you wish," Dagor pulled out the chair from the desk and gestured to it. Gus was grateful and sat down heavily, dropping his pack on the floor next to him. "I know we are going to have much to discuss…across various topics," Gus only just started to pick up on the lilting manner in which Dagor spoke, "most of which I'm sure can wait until you have eaten and rested?"

"Certainly," Gus barely managed to say before Dagor continued. He was learning a lot about the Chamberlain in a very short space of time. Call him judgemental, but he took his gut feeling when meeting someone new seriously and let's just say he wasn't getting a bubbly first impression of this particular elf.

"However, we must at least go over some of the formalities before you retire. I must apologise for the absence of the First Warden and High Constable; they are both currently in Hossberg attending to political matters. Normally, a guest of your…rarity would be greeted by the latter as she is here more often than the former," Dagor tugged on the sleeve of his robes. "Alas, you are left with…me. So welcome to Weisshaupt, Warden-Commander; you always will be welcome and at home here, to seek solace or meaning, to establish knowledge or skill. In peace, vigilance." Dagor gave a small half-bow with a tilt of his head, the official words said and done.

Gus was unsure if there was some kind of traditional response to go along with what he identified as a traditional greeting. Dagor seemed to finish quite deliberately only a third of the way through the motto and did not look like he expected Gus to finish it. It would make sense, he reasoned, that during peacetime only that part of the motto is recited. A headache started creeping in the front of his mind as the journey started to catch up with him.

"Thank you," Gus said in response, which seemed to be accepted by the elf. When Dagor said no more, Gus took his chance. "I'm here to investigate the expedition that went into the Deep Roads almost thirty years ago, with King Maric. I assume I can access all the relevant documentation?"

"Ah, yes. The expedition of 9:10, as it became known. I am by no means certain, but I believe there was a consequent investigation which revisited the sites in the Deep Roads, so we most likely have more information than you thought."_ That's interesting. Someone here obviously thought it was worth investigating, too. I wonder if it was for the same reason?_ "It's probably best you visit the library first thing tomorrow…before my afternoon class begins in there with the new Wardens. You journeyed all the way here for information on one expedition, Warden-Commander?"

Gus rubbed his temple, attempting to relieve the pressure and pain there.

"My main interest is in The Long Walk and its implications."

"Indeed? Well, in that case I shall have some of my personal collection brought to you tomorrow. I'm sure you'll find what you are looking for. During my time…in office there has been only a handful of Wardens who have looked into The Calling of their own accord. I have to say it does not surprise me that you have joined their ranks; you seem to like the idea of cheating death."

Gus laughed at that, somewhat awkwardly. He really was not sure what to make of the Chamberlain; Dagor was obviously a very intelligent and controlling person but he couldn't figure out if Dagor was being funny, whimsical or accusatory. Gus began to feel like he was on thin ice and decided to make his exit before he said something he would regret and Morrigan would give him grief him for. Applying those two principles before he spoke generally saved him from seriously messing anything up. Plus, it felt like his headache was getting worse by the second.

"I apologise, but I must get some food and sleep. It's been a while since I was on the road for so long and it's taken a lot out of me. Where-"

"Of course, of course. If you retrace your steps out of the tower and to the parade ground, then turn left, the barracks are the building in front of you. The mess is on the opposite side of the ground, they'll be serving in an hour but I'm sure there's something already done for you. If you have any questions about Weisshaupt, do not hesitate to ask a fellow Warden. You are among friends here, Gus."

_What is with this guy? The way he just switched to acting the polite host is dangerous. It shows he's controlling how he comes across to me; and that he cares greatly how he does. _With little energy or will left to decide where he stood with the elf, Gus stood and picked up his pack, nodding to him on the way out and saying his thanks.

He made his way back out of the tower and onto the parade ground, turning right towards the mess straight away to pick up some food. The ground was empty now and Gus thought the Wardens must be off conducting duties elsewhere or having downtime before dinner. Either way, he was strangely thankful. Even though nobody had paid him any attention earlier, he couldn't deal with more people talking to him. In the space of just half an hour he had had the most in depth conversations with people besides Morrigan for more than five years. That, coupled with the fact he had fought darkspawn for the first time in as many years today, made him feel pretty overwhelmed. Oh, and he was in Weisshaupt, surrounded by more Wardens than he had ever seen.

Yeah, he definitely felt like he needed a break. _This must have been what it was like for Morrigan when we first went to Denerim. Maker._

Gus found the mess easily. It was the first room in the large building that ran along the south side of the parade ground. It was empty apart from a couple of cleaners, who obviously weren't Wardens and didn't bother to look at him. He followed his nose to the kitchens, a skill which he perfected as a boy in Highever, and knocked loudly on the door. That was also something he learnt as a boy; don't barge in and interrupt a cook. The door swung open a few seconds later and a young boy with red cheeks and a distressed expression looked up at him.

"Hi, I was wondering if I could get some bread or…something…" Gus trailed off as the boy turned and walked back inside the kitchen. Unsure whether to follow, Gus lingered in the doorway for a few moments before the boy called out to him.

"Come and get it then!"

Gus scurried forwards and saw that the boy was standing to the side of a basket of bread, gesturing with his hand for him to take some. It was at the end of a long preparation table where there were several people busying around meat and vegetables, cookers lining the sides of the room.

"There's some soup in the pot as well," the boy said before turning, grabbing a mop and starting to clean the floors. Gus looked at the pot set on the table above the bread and quickly found a bowl to dish the soup into; picked up a small loaf of bread and strode from the kitchen before anyone scorned him or asked him to give them a hand. They were obviously used to people coming in for an early dinner and didn't seem too fazed by him.

Soup and bread in hand, he crossed back over the parade ground and entered the barracks. Luckily, there was a Warden on duty just inside the door. The prospect of food and sleep gave Gus a new sense of confidence with his rank and he stood tall as he addressed the Warden, soup and bread held proud.

"Warden-Commander of Ferelden," Gus nodded to the stout man, "Is there a room for me? Or am I in with you lot?"

The man's beard ruffled and his eyes widened slightly when Gus spoke, but whatever he thought didn't seem to affect his ability to show Gus to a small but smart room. There was a narrow bed running alongside the wall opposite the door with a small table next to it. A window to the right would let in the morning light tomorrow, and that was it. _Basic, but enough. _Gus thanked the Warden and shut the door once he'd left. He dumped his belongings next to the bed and perched on the edge of it as he ate the bread and soup.

Once finished and feeling delightfully full, he took out his hand-axe from the waistband of his leggings and propped it against his bag, stripped down to his undergarments and climbed straight into the bed. He only wore leather padded armour for this journey, as it was the lightest and most manoeuvrable for travel, so it was easy to remove. He exhaled deeply as he wrapped the sheets around him. It wasn't a comfortable bed, by any means, but it was better than anything he had slept on in the month travelling. He drank the remaining water from his water-skin and rubbed his forehead, his headache already lessening as the food started to go down.

As he laid his head back on the pillow, he twisted Morrigan's ring a few times before leaving it alone and turning over to sleep. She would detest it if he told her, but the ring had been a major comfort on the journey. Perhaps it was the fact that Morrigan knew where he was so that even though they couldn't communicate, there was a connection between them. When he found her after dealing with the Mother and the Architect, it made his heart swell that she was waiting for him outside the Eluvian. Even though he had no clue what she was up to, how she felt or what was going to happen, the fact she knew where he was meant she was paying just as much attention to him as he was to her. He had never been in a relationship where trust was so hard to establish and meant so much once they achieved it. Maybe that's why he'd always kept her ring on.

Or maybe he was being sentimental and soppy; which is probably what Morrigan would tell him. Gus smiled at the thought and closed his eyes.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Well first of all I'd like to apologise to anyone that read the first chapter of this story before I updated it and took out the freaking beta notes I had left in. I mean, how fucking professional, right? That's what happens when you impulsively decide to publish after a long day and don't check the document before you do. So yeah, apologies. All fixed now though!

Secondly, I just want to say that it feels great to start releasing chapters for this seeing as I've had this story in my head since I finished Inquisition last year and have been chipping away at it since then (feels good to say 'Fuck it! Just publish already!'). In terms of updates, I'm going to do my best to do weekly, but seeing as my work schedule is a bit all over the place I'm not going to promise a day. This should be quite a long story so I'm sure I'll find a rhythm. I'm releasing this one early just to kick start the story.

Finally, I only discovered this minor point when talking to my beta (thanks for all your help so far, Lucky!) that I'm a Brit. I mean, I've always known that but hopefully that will explain any language oddities to non-Brits out there like it did for my American beta. To be honest, I have no idea if anything I say is British slang or whatever but just thought I'd mention it so that you know I'm using language properly. Just saying this, I am now super tempted to put a load of British phrases and words into the next chapter because that would be so jokes but that would be childish...so so childish. Anyway...

Thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3

Gus woke the next morning feeling well rested. He made his way to the mess straight away, only half surprised that the majority of the Wardens seemed to be up already. It was early, the sun only just starting to light up the sky and there were heavy shadows from the various structures in the fortress still. Gus had tied his hair back again after feeling the urge to look somewhat smart and worthy of his rank. His beard didn't help matters, but he was reluctant to shave since it kept his face warm on the journey here and he would miss it on the way back.

He arrived at the mess with only a few odd glances and raised eyebrows but little else. Inside there was the murmuring of people talking over their food as they sat at the tables. The outpost seemed much more alive than it had the day before, when it was only the stable hands that seemed to be going about their business with any kind of life. He ate quickly and alone at the end of one of the tables before asking one of the servers where the library was and heading over. It was down a corridor leading off from the mess and must have been flush against the south wall if Gus had got his bearings right.

The library itself was quite impressive. The bookcases were similar to those in Dagor's office and covered every available wall space from floor to ceiling. Then, there were rows of slightly smaller bookcases standing independently to his right. To his left, there were steps leading down to about twenty dark wood tables with a handful of chairs around them. The room itself was bigger than the entrance hall-come-throne room that had all the griffon statues in; which reassured Gus that even the Wardens of old appreciated the power of knowledge. There were a few Wardens dotted around, at various states of research; some had several books spread out in front of them at the tables while others were selecting from the shelves. Gus started scanning the shelves, looking for exhibition records after Dagor's suggestion that there was an investigation into Fiona's trip into the Deep Roads back in 9:10.

After about half an hour of searching and collecting both books and scrolls, Gus took a seat at one of the tables. He had a mixture of tomes detailing various Warden's Callings and reports. He stacked everything he needed to read on his left, and as he went through moved each item to his right. It was his tried and tested method for getting through lots of information without losing track, which he had perfected when studying what 'every self-respecting Teyrn's son should know' at Highever. He had some plain paper in front of him, on which he jotted down what he already knew; which was not a lot.

_Fiona_

…_didn't have Calling_

…_survived taint_

_..is a mage_

_Events?_

…_expedition to Deep Roads_

Next to his notes on Fiona Gus scrawled one word and circled it:

_HOW?_

He began by reading the scrolls which were the original reports of Fiona's expedition into the Deep Roads. She was part of a band of Wardens who ventured to Ortan Thaig in order to rescue the Warden-Commander of Orlais' brother, Bregan. There were concerns that if the darkspawn learnt of his knowledge of the Old God locations a blight would be triggered. _Makes sense so far,_ Gus thought. The Warden-Commander, Genevieve, recruited King Maric to help the expedition because he had 'previous knowledge and experience'. Gus frowned at that, as the report didn't elaborate. He continued reading.

'Grand Enchanter Remille equipped the expedition with enchanted amulets to prevent the darkspawn sensing the Wardens while in the Deep Roads. They failed and the expedition was ambushed when approaching the Thaig. No losses were suffered but all members were imprisoned by a sentient darkspawn who identified himself as the Architect_.'_

_Result_, Gus thought, _amulets to prevent darkspawn detection? The Architect?_ The expedition very quickly became interesting. He took note of the amulets and sentient darkspawn; writing the Grand Enchanter's name 'Remille' down and 'Architect' with a question mark. After learning about the Architect's plan to use Grey Warden blood to release the darkspawn from the hive mind, it actually made sense that he could be somehow involved. Gus was trying not to jump to conclusions, but it couldn't be a coincidence that the Architect seemed to know a lot about the connection to the Old Gods, the power of Grey Warden blood and that he turned up on Fiona's expedition.

'The expedition was taken to Kul-Baras where the Architect detailed his plans to destroy the Old Gods to prevent any further conflict between darkspawn and mankind. Warden-Commander Genevieve and Silent Sister Utha joined the Architect's ranks to aid his cause. King Maric, Wardens Fiona, Hafter and Duncan and the Avvar Kell ap Morgan escaped Kul-Baras. Hafter and Morgan were killed in the effort.'

It definitely seemed that the Architect had the same ideology twenty-seven years ago as he did when Gus fought him and the Mother after the Blight.

'Upon their return to the surface, the remaining members of the expedition were captured by Remille and taken to Kinloch Hold. It became apparent that he had made a deal with the Architect and that the darkspawn's true plan involved spreading the taint amongst the people of Thedas to complete the peace process. The failed amulets the expedition wore were revealed to accelerate the taint within their wearers; masking them from the darkspawn was a ruse. Duncan was unaffected due to an enchanted dagger he had stolen from Remille when the amulets were given (see inventory report).'

Gus went back to his notes and underlined 'Remille' furiously. Whatever magic was at play there was relevant and he wanted to know more about the Grand Enchanter. The remaining report detailed how a fight broke out after the Architect's full plan became apparent and Loghain, of all people, turned up to liberate the occupied circle tower. The report concluded by noting the deaths of Remille, Genevieve and Bregan and that Duncan and Fiona journeyed to Weisshaupt. A paper note was fastened to the bottom of the last page which simply said: 'Warden Fiona has recovered from the accelerated taint. This is unprecedented.'

Gus let out a long, slow breath. He felt like he had opened up a whole new chapter of Grey Warden history and, more precisely, possibility. The number of leads that this report alone had given him was greater than he had ever expected. _Why has no one properly looked into this before?_ Gus didn't want to think of the possibility that other Wardens had followed up on these leads and come to dead ends. After just a couple of hours of research he had gained more knowledge about the taint than he ever thought he could. It could be affected by magic, for one. It was also something that was completely separate from the mental element of the Calling as Fiona did not experience the call of the Old Gods. Or at least, there was no detail in this report that she had been affected in that way. Most importantly, Fiona survived it.

The same question still remained: how?

Before he could move onto a new tome Gus' attention was drawn to a sudden influx of Wardens who all began to take seats around him. A murmur picked up and Gus realised that this must be the lesson that Dagor mentioned the night before. Sure enough, the elf walked in a few moments later followed by a dark haired warden with a cracking moustache that meant he was almost certainly Orlesian. Dagor looked over at Gus and began to make his way towards him while he started to clear away his notes and research.

Of course, the elf greeted him first.

"Augustus, I hope Weisshaupt has treated you well?"

Gus stood and smiled, despite the use of his full name, very aware that several wardens were paying attention to his conversation.

"Very. This library is very impressive, though I know someone who would appreciate it a lot more than I," he joked. Dagor gave a small smile and used both hands to smooth his hair back.

"Unfortunately, the tomes I thought would be of use to you are on loan to Tevinter. However, I did find the investigative report into the 9:10 expedition," he drew rolled up papers from his apparently very deep robe pockets and set them down on the table. He gestured to the warden behind him to step forward. "This is Warden Stroud. He's been investigating a sentient darkspawn named Corypheus and I thought that the two of you may have some common ground."

Stroud stepped forward and nodded to Gus.

"It's a pleasure," Gus said, reaching out to shake his hand, "Call me Gus."

"I would say call me Jean-Marc but it is a name which sounds dreadful in any accent apart from mine own," Stroud replied and Gus instantly took a liking to him, despite his Orlesian roots.

"Well, seeing as I presume you are going to start your lesson Dagor, shall we discuss this outside?"

"That…would be preferable," Dagor replied and Gus finished clearing away his research, "Can you come to my office at sundown to discuss formalities?" Keeping only his notes with him and the report Dagor gave him; Gus nodded and led Stroud outside into the corridor. He had a feeling that Dagor wanted to probe him about the end of the Blight and his disappearance and didn't trust himself to say anything. They stopped and stood a few paces from the library doors and Gus leant his left side on the wall, facing Stroud.

"So, you are the Hero of Ferelden?"

"So they say. It doesn't seem fair that mine and Alistair's little band of misfits don't get equal recognition for ending the Blight, just because I made the final blow…" Gus trailed off, realising he had voluntarily directed the conversation to a risky place. His mind was obviously worrying about what Dagor would ask him later.

"Speaking of that, when we have finished here I have something I would like to show you," Stroud said quite casually and Gus immediately started mentally kicking himself, "But first. Chamberlain Dagor told me that you were investigating the Calling?"

Thankful to get back on topic, Gus nodded.

"Little is known about it and I want to figure out exactly what it is, in the hopes of finding a cure. I know Fiona, the elven mage, seems to have survived the taint and hasn't experienced a Calling. Did you know they were two separate entities? Well, from what I've seen so far they seem so."

"No, but it makes sense now that I think about it. I assume we are both aware of the Joining's real impact and what the Calling's true purpose is?" Gus nodded. Throwaway comments from both Alistair and Riordan during the Blight made Gus suspect that the Joining did not grant full immunity to the taint and subsequent conversations with Morrigan led Gus to the correct conclusion.

The Joining was simply to delay the onset of the taint and create the connection to the darkspawn so that the Calling gave the Grey Wardens a 'dignified' death in battle rather than succumbing to becoming a ghoul. All of it was self-inflicted. "In that case, it would be wise to treat the onset of the taint and the Calling as two separate…stages of the process, no? One is more physical and the other," Stroud tapped his temple, "mental."

"I agree. I've only just begun and I feel like the assumptions many Wardens make, including myself, about how all this works are fundamentally flawed."

Stroud nodded.

"I understand. As the Chamberlain said, I'm looking into a being who calls itself Corypheus. He was afflicted with fatal wounds but he somehow survived in the way that only, to my knowledge, an archdemon can. It seems we are both discovering things that change our outlook on life."

"A darkspawn like the Architect?" Gus frowned.

"I believe they could be similar, yes. Both have exceeded the intelligence of any other darkspawn the Wardens have known. Corypheus was an imprisoned magister, however, and as such is a little more…complex," Stroud continued with a concluding tone to his voice as the corridor became busy with Wardens heading to the mess hall for lunch, "That is a story for another time. After you've eaten I'd like to show you something, if that's quite alright?"

"Is it relevant to my research?" Gus asked as he started to feel defensive about his earlier slip up.

"Not at all, rather it is related to my own," Stroud responded with a smile. Gus studied him for a second, knowing that he couldn't refuse without looking paranoid. He shrugged and nodded.

"Meet me at the bottom of the main stairs when you are ready." With that, Stroud turned and followed the corridor against the flow of Wardens heading for lunch.

* * *

He followed the line of Wardens shuffling along to collect their food. He was just a few Wardens from the front when laughter burst out behind him and he felt an elbow in his side. He turned around with a slightly pissed off expression to see who had barged into him.

"Oh fuck, sorry mate," the young woman said as she turned to look at him, "Queues can suck my…" When she met his eyes, her words and the grin on her face fell immediately and her cheeks began to turn the same shade of red as her hair.

"Wren," Gus' expression changed to curiosity as he tried to reconcile the politely spoken Warden of few words that he met the previous evening with the gawdy, boisterous one in front of him now. Her friends took the strange meeting completely the wrong way.

"Shit, Wren, tell me you didn't fuck this one too," a guy with a shaved head and broken nose said with despair.

"Why are you always the cause of awkward moments? This has got to be the fifth of the day so far! You're not helping, Gael," a female elf who stood directly behind Wren whined. The style her hair was braided in reminded Gus of Zevran, except hers was a dark brown colour. Wren's eyes went wide as she heard this and she spun around to face her friends.

"Shut. Up." She said with a force not unlike Morrigan's, however lacking the refinement. Wren still had her back to Gus. "Guys it was one time! One time we ran into a guy I slept with. Let it go already!"

"Why are you-" Gus started, trying to talk to Wren and figure out why suddenly he felt like he was in one of those ridiculous comedy plays he used to see at Highever. Now, though, it was him who was the butt of the joke.

"Errr…." bald Gael said, his face scrunched into a frown and looking at Gus, "You look kind of…familiar, mate, have I – ANDRASTE'S FLAMING ASS! You're the Hero of Ferelden!"

Luckily for Gus, the other Wardens were too engrossed in their own conversations to pay any attention to Gael and no one reacted to his loud announcement. Though, the Wardens in line in front and behind them did turn their heads. The elf immediately began to blabber.

"Dirthamen! Oh Wren how could you not tell us you met the Hero of Ferelden? And you fucked him too! Mythal give me strength, Wren-"

"I said SHUT UP!" Wren said with an only slightly raised, but cutting voice.

"…didn't have sex with her," Gus muttered with a face that said 'what the hell just happened' as Wren shut them up.

"I didn't sleep with him, you nug-suckers! Ergh!" Wrenn exclaimed, before turning and looking up at Gus. "I'm so sorry, Commander. I don't sleep with loads of people, just so you know, they just can't. Let. It. Go." She whirled back to her friends, "One time!"

"Its…uh…its okay. I guess you were just being very _very_ polite yesterday."

"Ohhhhh," It seemed that something had just clicked with the elf, "She was on receiving yesterday, Gael. Sorry, Wren." She said sheepishly. Gael started laughing.

"Oh Maker, sorry!" Gael began, then directed his gaze at Gus, "Wren does the polite meet and greet routine really well. She got one helluva mouth on her when you get to know her though and uh she's right, it was one time," he said with a guilty smirk before he licked his lips, "So…you're actually Cousland? Who ended the Blight?"

"Yes. With _lots_ of help. Let's not make a big deal out of that." Gus stretched out his hand, "Gus, nice to meet you Gael. And…?" His eyes flicked to the elf when Gael shook his hand.

"Nera," She replied, smiling shyly.

"Well, now that we're all on the same page, how about we have some food? If you don't mind me joining you," Gus smiled.

"I mean…uh, sure." Wren replied after a few moments of indecision.

"Good. For the record, Wren, sorry but you're not my type," Gus said with a wink which made Wren blush all over again and Gael bark out a laugh.

Gus left the mess hall feeling like he was on a high. Despite the awkward start to the conversation, Gus had enjoyed the flurry of activity and banter that had followed as they ate. Wren, Gael and Nera were a rowdy bunch who joked with a carefree nature that Gus found refreshing. It was like he had finally had an honest and light interaction with people that didn't go beyond having a laugh. It reminded him of easier times. Unfortunately, that wasn't going to continue.

* * *

He met Stroud at the bottom of the parade ground steps. They simply nodded in greeting and Stroud turned directly in between the two steps of stairs, going through a door which led underneath the parade ground.

The room it led to was long and narrow; dimly lit by wall candles which cast shadows across the dark bricks. The air was cold and lifeless which made Gus shiver as he followed Stroud. They came to a halt a few paces inside.

"What's this for?" Gus cut to the chase. Stroud turned to him.

"This is the mausoleum. For Wardens who fell killing an archdemon…"

_Shit._

"…there's a plaque for each one," Stroud pointed down the room and Gus noticed plinths mounted on the walls; three each side and one on the wall at the end. "Five demons killed so far…only four plaques with names and dates."

Stroud looked at Gus but he couldn't read his expression.

"If I could explain it to you, Stroud, I would. But I can't. That's just the way it is."

"Do you understand the power of the forces behind this? It is impossible for an archdemon to die and not transfer its soul. A Grey Warden must die."

"Yes but-"

"There is no 'but' here, Gus," Stroud said with earnest. "As the earth is solid and the sky is blue, an archdemon must transfer it's soul. I know because it is written in nearly every Grey Warden history book. Your name should rest upon these walls alongside the others, but instead you stand before me. You cannot claim that this is simply 'the way it is'".

Gus's mind started reeling. He should have thought about this more. He should have prepared. How stupid of him to think that he could play ignorant and that they would accept it? These were Wardens who had served much longer than he had, who had drill sergeants and discipline that he never enforced and studied sentient darkspawn in their spare time! How was he supposed to bluff his way past that?

The crux of the issue, however, was that Gus didn't know how they would react to the truth. What would the repercussions be if they knew the Old God's soul was in his son's body? That a blood magic ritual made it possible? Would they hunt Kieran down in fear of what darkspawn would do to a human carrier of the soul? He has never faced any kind of judgement for what he had done, the Wardens in Amaranthine answered to him and there wasn't time for political matters such as this. What should he say? Stroud seemed like a decent man and, unlike Dagor, Gus had a good gut feeling about him…but he didn't _know_ Stroud. He didn't know what he would make of the truth.

The silence was overbearing. Gus licked his lips and cleared his throat.

"I can't answer your questions, Stroud. I want to help you, but I don't know how it worked," he paused and thought carefully about what to say next. "If you want to know, you'll have to come and find me back in Orlais. I'm not making any promises, but there's a chance I'll be able to help you. I can't do it here and I can't do it now. I can't take that risk."

Stroud looked at him for a long moment before he sighed.

"You will have a lot to explain to a great number of people, Gus. I don't know what you did to survive; I don't know if it could be fundamental to the way Wardens think about archdemons, if it could be how Corypheus survived... Maker knows what powerful magic was involved." He stepped forward and rested his hand on Gus' shoulder, his eyes boring into him, "But beware that Dagor will not accept the answer you gave me. He will ask you about this and he _will_ want a straight answer. Just…be prepared. If you play this wrong, you might not be as welcome here as you think."

With that, Stroud clapped Gus on the shoulder and left him standing alone, surrounded by the names of those who had the courage to sacrifice what Gus didn't.


	4. Chapter 4

"Remember no further than the main hall, little man," Morrigan called as Kieran dashed off towards the old castle that was situated only a short walk from their camp. When they had first arrived at The Crossroads they had scouted the structure to see if it was habitable. Unfortunately, it was an empty shell which held in the cold and kept out the eerie warming light of the misty sky. As a result, they had decided to camp just outside. There was no change in the climate of The Crossroads and no threat from roaming creatures so there was little need of the castle's high walls. Kieran, when he was old enough, liked to run around its rooms and play games against invisible enemies which was exactly what he was off to do now.

"Right. Come on then, let's have at it," Gus said, clapping his hands together. Morrigan turned to him and quirked an eyebrow.

"What is this now? Round three, four hundred?"

"I didn't know you were keeping track, I'm flattered," he replied with a grin. He threw off his jacket and picked up his wooden sword, giving it a few practise swings. "You know, I'm still not convinced you can't make a metaphorical wooden sword for your magic. Part of me thinks you just like to see me in pain."

"Oh, my love, I _am _toning down my magic. 'Twould appear you've simply grown soft," Morrigan said. She rolled out her shoulders and began flicking a ball of energy between her hands playfully. Gus frowned, remembering the pain of one of those balls striking his arm.

"Yeah, well let's see if your aim has improved since last time. If I remember correctly, you had a little bit of trouble actually hitting your target."

"Hah! Enough. Let us begin."

With that, Morrigan catapulted the energy at him with one flick of her hand whilst her other reached and picked up her staff which was dug in the ground next to her. Gus ducked instinctively. The energy soared over his head and he couldn't help but grin. Crouched low, he rolled to the right of Morrigan as she swung her staff at him sending a cone of ice in his direction. As he came out of the roll he switched his sword to his left hand and struck at Morrigan's ankles. The sword made contact and Morrigan stumbled forward, her staff actually impeding her ability to right herself due to its length. She managed to catch herself with her other hand, however, and hissed most likely in both pain and irritation.

Gus wasn't fooled. He knew that Morrigan would make the most of this opportunity as she had done in the past, so he was going to do the same. He went for her staff first, knowing he would get bragging rights for disarming her even if she could perform magic without it. He slammed his foot down on it, just above her hand, making her break her grip and it clattered to the floor. Just as he curled his sword around to bring it to Morrigan's throat, hoping to claim a swift victory, he suddenly found himself flung across their makeshift duelling ground. His body slammed into the dirt and pain cracked its way along his spine making him gasp.

"Maker Morrigan! You did not use the metaphorical wooden sword for that one. No chance," he tried not to sound whiney but failed miserably. As he hoisted himself to his feet, he saw Morrigan was already standing at the ready with another spell.

"'Tis a good thing Kieran isn't here to see his father so easily beaten," she called as she swung her staff across her body and a stone fist formed in the air in front of her. It flew towards Gus but he sidestepped easily, already recovered from his fall.

"Beaten? Looks like you still can't hit me unless I'm standing right next to you!"

"We'll see about that…Augustus," Morrigan smirked. Before Gus could express his outrage at the use of his full name, he was under attack from a flurry of arcane bolts. He had to dodge left and right, diagonally forwards and backward for what felt like a forever.

"MAKER! Piss off, Morrigan!" He shouted as one bolt singed his thigh. He rolled forward once more, dodging another stone fist, and kicked up a flurry of dirt with his foot as he rose. The particles struck Morrigan square in the face, temporarily incapacitating her. Taking the opportunity to disappear, he ghosted away, fading from view.

"Oh very good, my love." Morrigan spat, wiping the dirt from her eyes and face. "Hiding away in the shadows again? You know, it is Kieran that likes fighting invisible foes, not me."

Gus ignored her taunts as he skulked away silently, preparing some energy for his next move. Morrigan's perceptive eyes were scanning her surroundings and he knew that soon she would sense his presence; there were few who were more perceptive than this Witch of the Wilds.

"Gus, you know you cannot stay hidden from me for long…" she began trying to distract him with chatter and that's when he knew it was time to act. It probably meant she had a rough idea of where he was and was trying to pinpoint him. He flickered forward, his feet moving at lightning speed across the ground. As he did so, Morrigan pivoted towards him, simultaneously raising rock armour; but it wasn't going to be enough. Gus knew he had her this time. He raised his sword and cut it into the soft flesh under Morrigan's ribs. She fell backwards and Gus made no mistake, following through by bring the sword round to her throat.

_Victory_, he thought. He chucked the sword aside and offered his hand to help her up. She huffed as she accepted it.

"Well. That was fun."

"Yet frustrating," Morrigan replied as she dusted her robes down.

"Aw, don't worry, I'll help you sort out all your pent up tension later," Gus smirked as he stole a kiss on her cheek.

"Oh, 'tis such a relief I have my Warden for company so that I will not be left alone with all my… frustrations," Morrigan responded with a raised eyebrow. Before Gus could reply, she changed the subject, her tone no longer teasing, "There is time left in the day, however, and I must begin to study Kieran's spell. Let us fetch him and get to work."

"Oh yes. The spell. Right. Well, at least ask him to help teach you how to aim better before you start; we both know he's twice as good-"

Gus fell back with a yelp as he was hit square in the chest with an arcane bolt. He landed awkwardly on his arm and looked up at Morrigan with a flabbergasted expression.

"There is nothing wrong with my aim," she said curtly, turning on her heel and striding towards the castle. She only got a few yards away before turning back towards Gus, "Do try to keep up, my love."

* * *

Gus emerged from the library just as the sun dipped below the horizon; its orange glow still resounded across the sky. He had spent the remainder of the afternoon looking through books related to Warden history. They had little to say about The Calling, but Gus had to study them, even if it was just to eliminate them from his list of possibilities. He had grown to be quite skilled at skim reading over the last few hours so he got through quite a bit. He had saved the investigative report in the 9:10 expedition as he wanted to get it copied by a scribe, and preferably the original expedition notes too. They were both tucked safely away in his room for now.

He made his way to Dagor's office with weary steps. Stroud's warning had been playing at the back of his mind during his research but now his hands started to sweat and his breathing quickened. As he approached the doors of the hall, a few Wardens were milling around outside. He nodded to a few and passed them swiftly; trying to jump his nerves by getting to his destination as quickly as possible.

The trouble was he'd never had to face someone who officially held a rank and some kind of authority over him; not even his father was this imposing. In a few moments, he would have to face the Warden organisation and that scared him to a whole other level than facing demons or darkspawn. _Come on, August. You _have _faced more terrifying things than this elf. No matter what is said you ended the Blight. Don't let him take that from you. _

There were also Wardens sitting the pews of the hall, and Gus noticed Gael amongst some of them. He caught his eye and nodded in greeting, getting a wide smile from the bald man in return. He did not linger, however, and found himself outside of Dagor's office a few moments later. He wasted no time by knocking and entering straight away. Dagor was standing at the bookcase on the right, his hand running over the spines of ancient and modern tomes alike. His head turned to the door as Gus entered, irritation flashing across his features before he either covered it up or it dissipated upon seeing who it was.

"Augustus Cousland. Impeccable timing."

"Well-"

"We have much to discuss, so if you don't mind…I'll need to ask some questions and I'd appreciate concise responses," Dagor interrupted. "First of all, I need to make it clear that you are no longer the Warden-Commander of Ferelden. Following your disappearance, we had to appoint a new person for the position. Your reappearance has left us in an unprecedented…situation," Dagor smoothed back his hair and moved to the centre of the room, facing Gus who knew better now than to try and get a word in. "Let me be frank. Officially, the judgement on what should be done with you rests with the High Constable. In her absence, it falls to me. I am willing to throw out the…rulebook, as it were, and let you keep your rank.

"You would have to travel back to Ferelden forthwith and discuss an accord with the current Commander there, to share the responsibilities. First I need to know the circumstances of your survival. We cannot go any further until that has been discussed, yes?"

Gus was only mildly surprised at Dagor's words. If he thought that dangling his rank in front of him as a carrot would make him spill all of his secrets, the elf was sadly mistaken. The last thing Gus wanted to do was have to lead the Ferelden Wardens; yes he had been waiting to return home and visit his friends and family but his priority was with _his _family first. Dagor's opening statements reassured the Hero of Ferelden quite a bit and his nerves started to quell. He nodded to acknowledge the Chamberlain, who seemed eager to continue.

"Good. What did you do to survive killing the archdemon?"

Dagor's eyes were unblinking as they looked at Gus.

"I didn't do anything I-"

"DO NOT LIE!" Dagor bellowed. Gus had to consciously stand his ground as the elf towered over him, leaning into his personal space. But Gus wasn't going to breakdown. What he was saying was true, in a way, all he had done was have sex with Morrigan and he did that all the time in the latter half of the Blight. After a long pause, where Gus decided to stay quiet rather than reiterate that he didn't do anything, Dagor spoke again. "Why did you abandon your post after Amaranthine?"

"I took leave for personal business."

"Personal business that led you to the Dragonbone Wastes?"

_How does he know that?_

"Amongst other places."

"But you did not return from the Wastes. Where did you go?"

"Where has this information come from, Dagor?" Gus asked. He was risking invoking the elf's anger again but he needed to know how he was so informed. Dagor narrowed his eyes at him and made a dismissive gesture.

"A circle mage claimed to accompany you there. His report is regarded as…sensational, however, due to his claims that ancient Elven magic was at play. He does mention an interesting name," Dagor continued, his tone growing almost excited, "one of your companions during the Blight. An apostate called Morrigan."

Gus tried not to react. He really did. He tried to keep his eyes steady and his breathing even; but even he heard his breath catch at the mention of her name. Dagor knew a lot more than Gus thought he did and he could know more still.

Suddenly Gus wasn't so calm, "Why do you want to know? Is this an official enquiry, Chamberlain?"

Dagor ignored him and continued.

"I find it fascinating that you would allow such a creature to travel with you in the first place. I've heard tales of these Witches of the Wild and they sound as though they are true savages. Why is it that Morrigan met you in the Wastes? Was it her magic that saved you from the archdemon? Blood magic? Was it her who made you disappear? Have you been in hiding from the world, cavorting with some detestable wild woman? Is that why you shirked your duty as a Warden?"

Dagor's face was merciless. He was enjoying this. He thought he had Gus all figured out. He was wrong.

Gus' breathing was heavy as he tried to assess his options. The room was filled with his ragged breaths as he clenched and unclenched his hands.

"Wouldn't you love to know," he spat out with a rage he rarely heard in his own voice. That was it; the metaphorical gloves were off. Gus wasn't going to bother being 'proper' anymore. And he wasn't going to tell bloody Dagor shit.

Before either could say anymore there was a loud knock on the door and a familiar red head almost fell into the room. The two men whirled on her, the tension still palpable.

"What is the meaning of this interruption?" Dagor hissed out as Wren righted herself and looked at them.

"Apologies, Chamberlain. They are ready for you," she replied, her manner and tone back to how they were when Gus first met her. Dagor's eyes flickered to meet Gus', as if deciding his next move. Gus seized the opportunity that Wren presented.

"Well, Chamberlain, this was revealing. I can assure you I will not require your hospitality for much longer," Gus could hear the acidity of his voice but didn't even bother to try and eradicate it. "I'll let you," he gestured sarcastically with his hand, "_get on_."

"Er…Actually, Warden-Commander, you are also required. This is your welcome party, after all," Wren said with a slight smile, her professional façade dropping slightly. Gus' eyebrows shot up at that.

"Yes, yes. Of course," Dagor shot in. "How could we not throw a welcome for the Hero of Ferelden? You have become a symbol for the Grey Wardens."

Gus turned to look at him as the sweet sound of his voice was unnerving. Within seconds the Chamberlain had become the friendly host again, his expression humble and smiling. It was unfortunate how Wren had been both a saviour and curse.

"Follow me, Cousland," Dagor said with finality. Gus felt like he couldn't keep up, his emotions still running high. He didn't want to play friends with Dagor now. He didn't know if he could. But Dagor didn't wait for an acknowledgement, he started out the door, sweeping past Wren.

"Wren, what the fuck is this? A surprise party? I _can't _do this now. In case you hadn't noticed, Dagor doesn't like me."

"Well, duh. Do you think I've just got fucking great coincidental timing?" She tapped her right ear and grinned, "I was listening. Saved your sorry arse, didn't I? Sounded like you were about to gouge his eyes out at worst; mess up his ridiculous hair at best."

"So, what, there isn't a party? What's Dagor on about then?"

"Of course there's a party; well, more like a gathering but give it a few more hours and they'll all be pissed. They're just not quite ready yet. You're welcome."

Gus expelled a long breath. _Maker. How did this get so complicated? I'll just have to go to this stupid welcome, leave as soon as possible to get a scribe working on the reports and hightail it out of here before Dagor gets any ideas. _

"Hey," Wren continued, snapping Gus' attention back to her, "Dagor can't officially do anything to you, you know. He doesn't have that authority, only the High-Constable can _officially _mess you up."

"But I bet Dagor could _unofficially _mess me up while she's not here," Wren shrugged and nodded in agreement. "Okay. Okay. Fine. Let's get this sodding thing over with," Gus walked past Wren and into the corridor leading to the main hall. He paused and turned to her and she almost walked into him, "Thanks for saving me."

She blushed and grinned at him.

"Anytime."

* * *

"As I live and breathe, August! You know I had almost forgotten what your ugly mug looked like. You better be in a drinking mood because I certainly am and I've already had a few."

Gus smiled at Fergus and he collapsed onto the armchair opposite him, slinging his bag onto the rug and swinging his legs over the arm so the fire warmed his feet. A servant came over and offered Gus wine, which he took with no hesitation.

"Of course I am, why else would I visit you if it weren't for you drink?"

"You wound me, Warden. Oh wait, apologies, its Warden-Commander, isn't it? You like all the titles people keep throwing at you? Hero of Ferelden, Warden-Commander…are you going to be called the Saviour of Amaranthine next? Or do you think people will just cut the crap and start calling you Maker?"

"At least I earnt them. You're a Teyrn because Bryce was, don't be so cocky."

"Bringing up dear old dad now, why lower the tone? I was having a great afternoon."

"Sorry," Gus muttered. The topic of their father was still apparently thin ice for Fergus. Gus still felt the pain of losing both their parents, but he could bring them up in conversation without carrying the emotion with him.

"Yeah. Anyway," Gus looked up at his brother and realised with his shorter hair which had a few strands of grey and the lines around his face that he looked older. The year after the Blight had been tough for Fergus. Whilst for Gus it had meant leading the Wardens in Amaranthine and fighting both the Mother and Architect; for Fergus it had been a political battlefield. Attending restructuring committees, claims councils and ensuring the stability of his own people had not been an easy task for someone who had little political experience. Gus didn't envy him, "What can I do for you, little brother?"

Gus chugged half of his wine before answering. He was here to tell Fergus about his plans to look for Morrigan and he wasn't sure how he would take it. He was telling no one else, as he didn't know what the result of his search would be, but he couldn't disappear and not tell his brother. He couldn't do that to him. And he needed someone to bullshit to Alistair.

"I'm going on a bit of a search. It might take a while and I don't really know what the outcome will be so I'm keeping it just between us."

Fergus took a sip of his drink and looked over at him.

"What are you looking for?"

"It's a whom, actually. Morrigan."

"You can't be serious, August."

"I'm completely serious."

"You're going on some witch hunt for a woman who _abandoned _you before the biggest fight of your life and hasn't contacted you for over a year. Do you know how ridiculous that sounds? Not to mention the fact that she isn't the most honourable of company."

"Fergus, I really wouldn't go there. You don't know who you're talking about," Gus said quietly. He didn't want to argue with his brother over how _honourable _or_ appropriate _Morrigan was.

"Fine," Fergus relented. He obviously understood Gus' warning, "but the rest still stands. I know its hard and horrible but she left you. She hasn't looked for you. What makes you think she wants to be found? It seems to me like she buggered off for good. Everyone else stuck around for you, supported you. Why can't you let it go?"

"Would you let Oriana go? Because I don't think you would even if she slapped you round the head and told you to never set your leering eyes on her again."

Fergus studied his brother for a few seconds, before barking out a laugh.

"Hah! I'm sure she actually said that to me once or twice," he took another few swigs of wine, " But you know this is different. Morrigan is…"

"She's what?" It looked like Fergus was going to go there after all.

"Don't get angry. She's an outsider, a pretty savage one at that. I mean I heard she walked around in ripped clothes that hung off of her. She isn't part of," he gestured around the hall, "this. She's an apostate; she's probably a blood mage. She isn't someone who I'd thought you would associate yourself with. And I don't mean for the sake of the bloody house name or any of that nonsense. I mean morally. During the Blight, it was passable because you and Alistair were at your wits end, no doubt. But now…" Fergus trailed off, a slightly apprehensive expression on his face.

Gus was only half surprised he had reacted this way. Fergus never knew Morrigan, he had only heard of her, and it's easy to be wary of or fear someone you know little about; especially when what people say about them is not favourable or considered normal.

Gus thought he knew Morrigan, ever since he met her he wanted to figure her out and by the time the Battle of Denerim was upon them he thought he had. Then she left. He could see why Fergus thought it was a silly notion, to look for her, but Gus wasn't going to pass up this opportunity.

He had had a few flings with women since the end of the Blight, but they had been nothing more than sex. If he could describe them as anything it would be unhealthy. He didn't forget about Morrigan or their baby. He snapped at everyone and cried at night for the few weeks around the time when he knew she must have given birth.

"Fergus, I'm not going to argue with you. You don't know Morrigan. I came here to tell you that I've got a lead and I'm going to follow it up. I hoped you would be at least a little understanding."

"Do _you_ know her? I saw you after she left and you were a mess. Andraste knows I don't ever want to see you like that again. You said to me that she betrayed you, that she had tricked you and I'm pretty sure you called her a 'fucking replica of her fucking mother who managed to fuck me over yet again'. I don't doubt she was a good lay but-"

"Yeah, well, I was a mess like you said," Gus finished his drink and set it aside. He stared down at the rug in front of the dancing flames of the fire, "She shocked me. But in many ways I was naïve and childish. I've had a long time to think about this. You have to trust me that I'm making the right decision, Fergus. If I find her, I don't have the faintest idea what's going to happen but I can't leave this alone."

"I'm tempted to say don't come crying to me when this inevitably goes tits up, but we both know that would be bullshit. I'm still not drunk enough to support this, though, so let me have a few more before I send you on your merry way so I won't feel like a terrible brother."

Gus' mouth twitched into a half smile before he looked up into Fergus' eyes and spoke quietly again.

"Don't ever talk about Morrigan like that again, Fergus. She's not a savage and you can't tell her where or where she doesn't belong. And she wasn't just a 'good lay'. Fucking watch what you say."

He got up and picked up the empty jug of wine from the table next to Fergus' chair and muttered that he was going to get some more. As he walked towards the kitchens rolled his shoulders, feeling like the tension there was slowly starting to build again. He wasn't going to listen to Fergus' arguments against going; no matter how pertinent they were.

How could he just let it go? It was _Morrigan_.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Got to love a bit of Fergus. I feel like he's a great guy who's been dealt a shit hand late in life, poor guy.

Anyway, feedback is always appreciated and I hope you're enjoying the story!


	5. Chapter 5

"Wait here," Wren said as Gus reached the doorway leading to the main hall. He stopped just inside it and stepped aside as Wren passed him, "They'll call you in a minute. Don't let Dagor get to you in public, if you need another rescue I'll be with Gael and the beer."

She gave him an encouraging smile before she disappeared into the hall. From his position Gus could only see the throne, the shallow plinth it stood on and a couple of Wardens milling around on it; including Dagor. None of them were looking at him, which he reckoned was a good thing as he made the most of his last few moments of peace. There was the hubbub of chatter floating through the air. Gus shook out his shoulders and arms, trying to release the tension from his 'chat' with Dagor.

He massaged his temple and ran his hands over his face. _Huh_, he thought as he felt his beard, _this is long. I should really trim it._ Again, his thoughts turned to how he probably looked nothing like a hero_. Or a teyrn's son. Or even a respectable Ward-_

"Attention!" A deep voice interrupted Gus' thought process, "Wardens, we are here tonight to welcome an honoured guest. Chamberlain," It was one of the Wardens near the throne. He nodded to Dagor and the elf stepped forward, looking out to the hall.

"Indeed. Some of you may have heard or seen him around the fortress. His arrival was…unexpected but greatly appreciated. A surprise visit from the Hero of Ferelden is quite the event," As Dagor said this a few woops and cheers echoed around the hall. "Yes. Though he may look quite different from the year of the Blight, without further ado I'd like to welcome and introduce you all to Augustus Cousland."

_Not that bloody name. Now I sound like a prick. _

Dagor turned to Gus with a grimace just for him. The glint in his eye kicked Gus into life; he was going to win this crowd. He walked out with his head held high.

"If I hear any of you lot calling me that I'll go back to being a recluse," he joked loudly as he walked out towards Dagor. He turned to face the hall, not bothering to stand close enough to Dagor to greet him with any fake pleasantries. _It's packed. I mean holy shit it's packed. _The pews were only a few Wardens were sitting earlier were now swamped with men and women. There were Wardens standing, sitting and leaning all over the hall. His comment had the desired effect as the hundred or so Wardens began laughing. "It's Gus or August at the very least."

"To most you it will be Commander, naturally." Dagor countered and the laughter died down with his voice. He obviously wasn't a natural crowd pleaser. "The Commander has been absent for a while and if it wasn't obvious, knows little of how things work here at Weisshaupt. I expect all of you to help him during his stay. You know little of how we operate…isn't that right?"

"Completely. You've all had so much more training that I ever did," he nodded then smiled. "Mind you, that's the effect of interruptions like battlefield betrayal and darkspawn; drill training tends to fall by the wayside." Gus made certain that he didn't sound spitefully sarcastic, and judging by the smiles and wide eyes in the crowd he succeeded. Dagor coughed and cleared his throat. He knew he'd messed that one up.

"Of course. Now, I'm sure we're all dying to hear some stories, _Augustus_. Why don't you give us a tale? I'd love to hear about the Battle of Denerim; personally," Dagor placed a humble hand on his chest and turned to Gus.

It took a moment, during which Gus felt his heart sink, for the Wardens to begin cheering and clapping in agreement. He looked out at the crowd, praying to the Maker and Andraste and the Old Gods that his face didn't betray him. He saw Gael's bald head and broken nose in near the back in the aisle; his arms raised high and cheering with the rest of them, bottles of beer in both of his hands. He could just about see Wren next to him, but he couldn't make out her expression amongst the bustle of people.

Luckily, the Warden's response gave him the moment he needed to string some words together. As they died down, he plastered a smile on his face and began to speak.

"Well, it is quite the story; one I'm sure you've all heard before. So, with that in mind I'll cut to the bit you all probably want to hear. The bit that everyone seems to be interested in," A hush fell across the crowd. _Good, that got their attention._ He took a few steps forward and continued. "The Ferelden Freedom Fighters, as I wish we were known, were fighting the archdemon on top of Fort Drakon. It wasn't as big as you'd think, but it was bloody terrifying.

"Each of us took our turn in having a hit; we had to drop back and keep moving to avoid getting lashed by its tail or nabbed by its jaws. I managed to use the ballista a few times but that thing kept going even with bolts the size of me sticking in its side," Gus continued, the Wardens rapt, "it was exhausting. I don't know how long we were up there, but eventually I think it was Leliana who knocked it down with what must have been her last few arrows.

"It _collapsed_ to the floor…" That's when the cheering started. Gus raised his voice and carried on, "I grabbed a great sword which was stuck in a darkspawn at my feet and ran at it. I sliced it in half from its _head _to its _shoulders _then stabbed the damned thing in its skull," He swept his hand and swung it round dismissively. "Then all those sodding darkspawn _ran away_."

The hall erupted in noise. _Suck on that, Dagor._

"Nug-sucking darkspawn!"

"Did you take anything from the dragon?"

"Fucking archdemon!"

"What happened after?"

The exclamations and questions reached Gus' ears through the clapping and ego-boosting cheers of the other Wardens. He couldn't contain his smile. He barely had to do anything other than recite the story and they loved it. He looked across at Dagor triumphantly; how could Dagor touch him now?

"Quite the story!" Dagor's voice rung out, hushing the Wardens. "The first Warden to kill an archdemon and live to tell the tale; would you care to spill your secret, Augustus? I'm sure whichever Warden is faced with the task next will appreciate your…tips."

"Oh, I'm sure there are lots of people who would appreciate knowing the secret to your silvery locks just as much, Chamberlain," Gus responded with a devilish grin. He heard the thumping of feet on the ground and a few cheers of approval. As the raucous died down, something occurred to Gus.

Duncan had never told him that the Warden who kills the archdemon dies. Riordan had; just before the final battle. Alistair hadn't even known and he was a Warden longer than Gus; albeit only just. Did all Wardens know that the one who delivers the killing blow dies along with the demon?

What Dagor had just said could be taken in many ways; it was entirely possible that the majority of Wardens, especially those who had not fought in the Blight, were ignorant. The shrine below Weisshaupt could have one meaning to the informed and another to the uninformed. Perhaps many thought that the archdemons are so powerful that to deliver the killing blow has always meant sacrificing yourself in the process and had no idea about the transference of the soul.

The way the Wardens reacted didn't suggest there was anything untoward about Gus surviving. Was it possible they just thought he was a skilled fighter? Or maybe just a lucky fighter?

Did they believe he cheated death?

As he looked at the faces of the Wardens closest to him he decided. _No,_ he thought, _these people don't know. They're proud of me; not suspicious of me._

"Well, I think that's enough posturing for one evening! Let the drinking begin," he looked over at the crowd near Gael, where everyone had a cup in hand, and gestured towards them "or continue, I guess."

With that the group of drinkers gave another loud cheer and raised their cups triumphantly.

He stepped off of the raised area around the throne and towards where he last saw Wren and Gael amongst the clapping and cheering. It was good. Gus controlled that, he decided when he was finished and Dagor didn't even try to interrupt him.

"Oh look Wren, he's coming to speak to us; what an honour this is," Gael said with mock reverence as Gus approached them and the man proceeded to give a slight bow, the candlelight reflecting of his shiny, red and beer filled head. "Yeah, that's right mate, we know him. He's with us," he said to no one in particular.

"Oh yes we go way back to this afternoon, isn't that right?" Gus responded.

"Exactly. Way back," Gael confirmed with a nod before continuing, "You, sir, need a drink."

A cheer went up around them.

"I couldn't agree more," Gus responded and before he even finished his sentence a cup was thrust into his hand. Wren turned from her conversation and grinned at him. She began to chant and as soon as she did so the surrounding Wardens joined in:

"_We love to drink with Gus,_

'_cause Gus is our mate!_

_And when we drink with Gus,_

_he downs his drink in eight!_

_Seven…six…five…_"

Gael pushed Gus' hand holding his cup up to his mouth, beer sloshing out of it. Gus caught on and began downing the drink as those around him counted down. As they reached one, Gus held out his empty cup and triumphantly up turned it onto his head to the mirth of Wren who wooped loudly and before he knew it another cup was in his hand as the one on his head clattered to the floor.

The rush of alcohol and the stress of dealing with Dagor seemed to hit him all at once. As he joined in with the festivities, he was vaguely aware of the elf's eyes on him. He looked towards the stage and made eye contact with him. Gus couldn't help but give him a smug grin and a wink.

The three of them stood surrounded by fellow Wardens and Gus couldn't be more thankful that he had run into Wren earlier that day. Or rather, she had run into him. Elbowed him; to be exact. Familiar faces were priceless right now.

"So," he turned to Wren and lowered his voice slightly, even though there was no chance anyone else could hear over the din, "that went well, right?"

"Were you just in the same room as me? You should have seen Dagor's face! He is pissed and not in the same way as Gael and me. In a bad way," she paused and frowned. "As in Dagor is _angry_ and we are _drunk_."

Gus peered at Wren and noticed the redness in her cheeks and how her eyes were slightly unfocussed.

"That didn't take long," he muttered. Wren burst out laughing and looked to Gael.

"That's what I said after I slept with Derrik!"

"ANDRASTE! DERRIK YOU WANKER!" Gael boomed to the heavens.

"Maker," Gus exhaled. He so wanted to be able to relax enough to have as good a night as Wren and Gael clearly were…_already_. He looked over the heads of the Wardens around them, some of them looking at him and some of them trying to look like they weren't looking at him, to spot Dagor still next to the throne. The elf wasn't looking at him anymore, but talking to the Warden that spoke before he was introduced. Whatever he was saying, the other Warden didn't look too happy.

_Only the High Constable can _officially _mess you up._

Gus stood there for a few moments, with Wren and Gael laughing and barking out in front of him and his eyes on Dagor. He knew why he'd come here. He needed leads to investigate the Calling and he had them. He had Remille and the Architect and Fiona. He had those scrolls in his room waiting to be copied. He hadn't found an answer but he never expected to; not really.

What more could he get from Weisshaupt? Of course, he could stay for months and learn many things about the Wardens but he would also probably be facing sanctions and undoubtedly more uncomfortable questions. The High Constable could return and Gus couldn't begin to think what that would mean for him; good or bad. If he was Dagor, he'd be making moves to do something official as soon as possible; maybe call the Constable back to the fortress. Just a few minutes ago in Dagor's office, Gus had made it completely clear that he didn't intend to stay long. He had flight risk written all over him.

"Sod it," he murmured to himself and turned on his heel, starting to lightly push a few Wardens aside to make his way to the exit.

"Oi! Where are you going?" He heard Gael behind him. He turned back and clapped him on the shoulder, glancing at Wren.

"I won't be long. Save drinks for me."

* * *

Gus marched across the drill yard in the dark and when he reached the door to the barracks he swiftly and silently opened it. He stood inside and listened for a full minute before he walked to his room. He grabbed his backpack and opened it, positioning it in the middle of the floor. He began to fling items inside: his notes and map, his spare clothing and boots, his bag of coins and blanket.

He reached for his flask and emptied it of stale water out the small window before he tucked it in his belt to fill up back in the hall. Then, he lifted the dense mattress off of the bed and propped it with its underside up. He felt along the edge until his hand dipped into the rip he had made in the seam and it closed around the pair of scrolls tucked away inside. He withdrew them and pushed them deep into his backpack; scooped up the handful of fallen feathers which he stuffed back into the mattress and then let it drop back onto the bed frame.

As it fell, Gus heard voices in the hall and realised his mistake.

The bed frame grunted from the weight of the mattress and the sound silenced those in the hall. He had very little time to think and so he assumed the worst. He shoved his backpack, now carrying precious cargo, under the bed and sidestepped behind the door as it swung open.

"The Chamberlain wishes to-" A voice began, "Oh. We have got the right room, haven't we Luna?"

Gus could just see the tips of the Warden's boots protruding from the open door.

"Yeah this is the right one. Didn't you hear that bang? Cut the crap, Cousland. We know you're here!" A woman with long, curly dark hair in robes marched into the room and the milliseconds it took for her to appear, her back to Gus, he made the impulsive decision to grab Kallak from its resting place to his right where it was propped up against the wall. The woman whirled at the movement and her eyes fell on Gus.

"Are we having our own party in here?" He asked with raised eyebrows; not wanting to make the first move until he was sure he needed to.

"There will be no more parties for you, Cousland. We're under orders from the Chamberlain to take you to the cells until the High Constable arrives to pass judgement. Don't become an unnecessary complication."

"On what grounds? We all know he has no authority over me," he bluffed.

"Yes he does."

_Fuck! I'm going to kill Wren. _

"And what might that be?"

"He has suspended your rank for review and accused you of abetting the use of blood magic, committing barbaric acts against the Wardens and aiding the darkspawn cause. You must await judgement in the cells."

"Are you fucking serious?" He gaped. The male Warden stepped into the room then, clad in full mail armour with his hand on the hilt of his sword. Gus became painfully aware of the thin material of his shirt and trousers. He felt naked.

"We must take you directly to the cells," the female Warden insisted.

"And what rank do you hold over me? You can't order me anywhere," Gus knew it was futile to continue but did so anyway.

"We are here on order from the Chamberlain. Our ranks do not matter."

Gus clenched his jaw. There was only one way out of this.

"I'm not coming with you so I'm going to give you this opportunity to walk away, go back to Dagor and tell him that I refused to come willingly," his voice was low and dangerous again and he was dimly aware of how Weisshaupt seemed to have brought out his threatening tendencies. Unsurprisingly, the Wardens didn't move.

"We have our orders," the man said simply and took one pace forward. That was as far as he got. Gus drew Kallak, the sound ringing in his ears, and darted forward. He shouldered the female aside, knocking her towards the bed, and swung Kallak at the man's weak point behind the knee. He hoped to throw both of them off of their game before they even knew what was happening.

He only half succeeded.

The male Warden yelled when Kallak connected with the side of his kneecap and electricity coursed through him, causing the nerves in his leg to spasm. His leg gave way beneath him and Gus spun, using his momentum to deliver a literally jaw-shattering kick to the poor man's face. Unfortunately, in his peripheral vision he saw a ball of energy forming and he instinctively dropped to the floor. The arcane bolt ended up hitting the male Warden square in the chest and all of a sudden the man wasn't just reeling from his jaw hanging at a funny angle but the crushing energy that passed into his body.

Gus heard a sharp exhale and he rose quickly to face the female mage. In the confined space he knew that he was at a disadvantage because there was little he could do in the way of ghosting or using terrain to his advantage as he had countless times with Morrigan. So he had to fall back on what he did best: dodging. Until he figured out a plan, that was.

It didn't take long. This mage was nowhere close to Morrigan in terms of ability. Gus could tell that her bolts lacked power, many dissolved before they hit the wall behind him, and the couple of times she attempted to mind blast him when he approached her he only had to stumble back a few paces to right himself. He waited a few more moments before he flitted forward, ducking his head to the left as a shot cruised past him, and plunged Kallak right into her thigh. She gurgled with pain as he withdrew the blade, knocked her to the ground and slammed her chest with the hilt.

He glanced quickly to the male Warden who was lying where he collapsed; both were now unmoving.

He leaned over the woman and spoke.

"I'm not going to kill you because your commander is making mistakes; but for future reference, I'm going to give you some advice," he sheathed Kallak. "If I were you, I wouldn't listen to a word that bloody elf says and I'd have taken the opportunity to avoid fighting a fellow Warden. Maybe that's just me. If I see you again I hope you'll make better decisions."

She looked up at him with grey eyes and coughed a few times, obviously winded, but she didn't try to say anything. He shook his head and stepped away. He reached for his backpack and stepped over the unconscious male Warden; shut the door behind him and was back outside in seconds. The cool night air gave him pause and he took a few deep breaths.

He had underestimated Dagor _again_. Only this time it was worse. Gus had never thought something like this would happen; especially after Wren's blasé approach to Dagor's authority. At least not for a while. Dagor had moved quickly and Gus assumed it was because he didn't get what he wanted out of his little interrogation in the office or at the welcome party. Whatever the reason, Gus was glad he was prepared to leave.

Fuck getting the scrolls scribed, he was just going to take them. He didn't have the time to find someone, let alone someone he trusted, to copy them.

He didn't have time because he was leaving. Tonight.

* * *

He made his way down the steps and across to the stables; the chatter from the hall drifting across onto the courtyard. His mind drifted to Wren and Gael and he felt a twinge of regret leaving them. They seemed like good people and Gus didn't know how often he would come across good people on his journey back.

_Maybe we will meet again, _he thought and turned his mind to the task at hand.

All the hands had gone to their homes for the night and the horses were sleeping. He went to the stable on the end then back three, peering into the pen which held a brown coated mare; nothing special. It was standing at the back, away from the gate, snoring slightly. He dropped his pack and his sword over the fencing into the pen and they disappeared into the darkness. The horse whinnied softly in its sleep at the noise but didn't move.

He looked over to the gates to see who was on duty and noticed a couple of figures on the battlements but nothing more; just like the night he had arrived. He swung the gate open and spoke quietly to the horse.

"Wakey wakey, friend. We're going on a trip."

As he spoke she awoke, white eyes locking on him instantly as she shuffled about. He unhooked her saddle and bridle, approached with caution and let her sniff him before gearing her up. He reached back for his pack and Kallak, donned them both, and swung up onto the horse; ducking out of the stable. He trotted swiftly to the gates and those on guard turned around at the sound.

"I've been called back to Ferelden on emergency business," Gus called to them, his voice oozing confidence that he often surprised himself with.

"In the middle of the party? You're dedicated, mate," one responded. Gus just shrugged in response, despite the fact that they probably couldn't see anyway.

"Emergency business is emergency business," he said, even though he didn't think it needed clarification.

"Right."

Gus took that as the okay to leave and hopped off the horse to open the gates.

_Andraste, _he thought as he was confronted by the dusty wastes once more, _I barely lasted two days in Weisshaupt. But I'll be damned to the Deep Roads if I don't make sure Dagor gets what he deserves. Just you sodding wait,elf._

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Apologies for the delay in publishing this chapter. I had to face several factors which I hadn't previously determined in planning this story which the idea of finalising put me off writing. Here it is though and I hope it is a long time before I have to deal with an awkward chapter again.

It hadn't hit me until these last two weeks how easy it is to get lost in reading other fan fics when you're supposed to be writing your own. It's also so tempting to put subtle references to other series I follow in, if you get any of them then I will be super chuffed. I think there's only one in this chapter.

Thank you for all the reviews and support!


	6. Chapter 6

Gus was just passing the road that branched off to Nevarra when he decided on his final plan. He had been travelling at a brisk pace since he left Weisshaupt the week before and he could tell that his nameless horse was not thanking him for it. She was making for uncomfortable riding both physically and mentally as Gus couldn't help but feel guilty for pushing her so hard.

_It is a blessing that Oghren isn't here and didn't just read my mind._

The road had been a lot quieter on his journey back. He knew it would pick up again by the time he hit Orlesian lands; so he was making the most of the Highway whilst he still could. The Fields of Ghislain were in the distance to his right and the sight relaxed him. He felt so much closer to home. What 'home' was now, he wasn't really sure. Part of him ached for the familiarity of Highever; another for the comfort of Morrigan and Kieran…and a final part for Alistair, Leliana, Oghren and the rest of the crew. He _hated _travelling alone; another thing he discovered from his trip so far.

As he rode past the jungle of roads leading off towards either Nevarra or the Free Marches, he kept his vision trained on the path ahead. It would only be another day or two and he would be seeing the blue of the Waking Sea. _Not long now_, he thought.

He had decided to follow up with Remille first. He knew that the Enchanter perished, that much had been said in the report, but he must have had family or colleagues. Anyone connected to him may be of use. This lead made the most sense to start with as he was still unsure of Fiona's whereabouts and he was certainly not prepared to blindly go after the Architect knowing so little about his involvement.

He needed to reunite with Morrigan in the Dales and Remille was Orlesian; it made sense. He would hop on a ship across the sea so that he could update Morrigan and then search for the Remille family. She would probably enjoy dissecting the scrolls he stole…borrowed, too. A second set of eyes were often useful and if they were Morrigan's they were _always_ useful. After coming to those conclusions, Gus felt in a good place despite the issues with Weisshaupt he knew he would have to deal with. He just hoped Dagor wouldn't make more of his leaving than he should.

Somehow, however, Gus knew it wouldn't be so easy.

* * *

The sounds of the docks outside of Val Royeaux were like a Ferelden market place; except with strong Orlesian accents. The barking of sailors and wholesale traders was surprisingly uncivilised compared to typical Orlesian social standards; but Gus knew from experience that sailors were like a social class of their own no matter where in Thedas they were from. There were the odd few familiar sounds of various Ferelden dialects as well as some more unusual Free Marches and Antivan voices amongst the mix.

The docks themselves were not the ones located within the cities walls, those were more for passenger arrivals and luxury traders, but were a few stretches down the coast. They were quite vast, with several freight ships unloading as well as more humble vessels bobbing in the waves. Gus was heading for one such ship, hoping it was making the trip across the Waking Sea towards the docks of Lydes. The first one he had tried was not leaving until the following evening which was too long for a now very impatient Gus. There were two men milling around beside the ship and Gus put on a wide smile.

"Hello there," he called as he approached. The men turned to him and Gus was taken aback at how alike they looked. Both had dirty blond hair, one much longer than the other, with broad faces and shoulders. Their noses were long and thin, but aside from that Gus couldn't put his finger on what made them so similar.

"Looking for passage to Lydes?" The one on the right asked. Gus nodded; trying to place his accent.

"When do you leave?"

"As soon as we can. We're waiting for that gentleman," the same one said, pointing across to a crowd from which Gus couldn't determine who exactly they were referring to, "and a payment from a friend."

"What have you got to offer us for passage?" The one on the left, with longer hair, asked. His voice was much more gruff and to the point than his partner. _Ferelden, definitely…southern?_

"A horse. She's a bit tired but got me here from far to the north so she's a keeper; with a bit of rest she could take you to Kirkwall and back. It's the brown mare tied up outside the stables, on the left."

The long haired man nodded and walked off towards the stables, presumably to inspect Gus' offer.

They stood silently for a few moments before the sailor gestured to the edge of the dock and sat down with his legs hanging over the side. Gus joined him, swinging his pack off and setting it down next to him. He brought his knee up and rested his arm on it, his hand reaching for the man.

"Gus. Nice to meet you."

"Finn. My brother's Harry. What brings you to us, Gus?"

"Do your passengers ever answer that question?"

Finn smirked and looked across the water.

"Only if they haven't got anything to hide or if they're particularly clever."

"How do you know I'm not _very _clever and all of this is a double bluff?"

"Anyone who thinks that hard about it has definitely got something to hide," Finn responded and Gus laughed. He could certainly deal with spending a few hours on ship with this guy. "Ferelden, right?"

"Indeed. You too?"

"Mmmhmm-" Finn began to nod before a full laugh interrupted. Gus turned his head towards the sound and almost fell into the Waking Sea in shock whilst Finn jumped up to his feet and nervously clasped his hands.

"Oh, please, Harry. You know I could never forget those lovely locks of yours. Now where's your dashing and slightly more tolerable twin?"

"I wasn't talking about that, Isabela, and you know it. You owe us. Finn don't say anything," Harry responded sounding thoroughly pissed off.

_What are the chances? Seriously, what are the bloody chances? She better not recognise-_

"Why hello Finley, haven't you grown? And who is this?"

Gus stood and turned to face the pirate. _Wow, she looks different. _Isabela's eyes snapped to his, before raking over his face and body.

"Isabela. You look dashing as always," Finn said, standing next to Gus. She barely acknowledged the sailor before her attention was back on Gus. Finn cleared his throat. "This is one of our passengers, Gus; Gus this is our old friend Isabela."

"Admiral Isabela."

"Shut it Finn, what did I just say?" Harry said at the same time as Isabela corrected Finn.

Gus looked between the three of them. He was supposed to be free of this, he was almost back with Morrigan. Isabela better not fuck that up. He couldn't have word spreading that he was around; in the short term it would slow him down and the long term put a stop to his own private quest. You can't kill an archdemon, simultaneously saving Ferelden and ending the Fifth Blight, and live the quiet life.

Isabela was still looking at him as if he were a prize trophy as the brothers discussed some payment she owed them. He decided to test the water.

"Something interest you, Admiral?"

"Oh, many things interest me. Lone travellers with familiar faces are reasonably high on the list."

Well, that answers his unasked question. Gus smiled politely and picked up his bag, meeting Isabela's gaze once more as he looked to Harry.

"Is _my _payment satisfactory?" He interrupted. Isabela smirked as though she saw right through his attempt to end the conversation. The air was electric with things unsaid. Harry frowned at him and nodded.

"Yeah it will do. You can board, we'll be leaving as soon as this is cleared up. Finn, go and get our other passenger."

Finn took a long look at Isabela before he squared his shoulders and walked off; the poor guy was smitten. Gus took a step towards the ship.

"So eager to leave?" Isabela piped up. "Gus…Gus…You know you _are _familiar. When were you last in the Pearl in Denerim?"

"I barely remember for more reasons than one," he quipped and then shrugged, "Many years ago."

"Tell me about it, _Gus_. Times have changed…" she leaned up and whispered in his ear, "but you, Warden, are just as entertaining as before."

Gus turned his head slightly to look at her. They held each other's gaze for a moment as Gus tried to read her. _We're good; she likes the game too much to say anything_, he thought and nodded to her.

"May we meet again, Isabela, over more appropriate circumstances."

"Or not so appropriate," she said with a wink.

With that, Gus boarded the vessel and didn't look back. He was going to keep himself to himself over the next few hours, keep his head down across Lydes and hoped the next person held a conversation with was Morrigan.

Familiar faces _were _interesting, but they were also dangerous and Gus could only deal with the one for now.

* * *

He travelled through the night to reach the cave in the Dales which the Eluvian was hidden in. He had thanked and left the twin brothers at the port, he never even greeted the other traveller. He was a boring looking fellow who apparently made the trip a few times a season, according to Finn, and he spent most of the journey writing in a journal. He had powered through the small hours to reach this point. He saw no point stopping and making camp when he was so close.

So by the time he had ducked into the cave, which was located in a particularly overgrown section of the forest, he was utterly exhausted. He had forgotten that he had to battle a path through the low hanging branches and watch his feet every other step so he didn't fall over the roots.

As he approached the Eluvian, he expected it to glow with magic as Morrigan activated it from the other side. She could tell, after all, that he was here. As he waited a few more minutes, he began to grow a bit pissed off. The journey had not worn well on his patience. _Maybe she's fast asleep_, he told himself.

He regarded the cave that now looked as though it would also be his bed for the remainder of the night. It was at times like this that he wished he was a mage.

He could hear a distant trickle of water from further in, but little else. He had actually spent very little time in here, he had only ever assessed it's suitability for hiding the Eluvian or passed through. It was damp and dark and not somewhere he wanted to spend time. He wished now that he had stopped in Lydes.

He sighed in mild frustration as he swung his pack off of his shoulders and began to prepare to settle down for the night. He would definitely be having words with Morrigan about this in the morning. Gus closed his eyes and waited for sleep to come. He didn't have to wait long and when his mind drifted off, it was greeted by terrible dreams.

_Gus felt empty. He wasn't sure where he was, but it felt vaguely familiar. His surroundings slowly materialised around him as he became aware of them; he was sitting in an armchair like the one in Fergus' smoking room. _

"_She's really gone. What a fucking bitch," Gus turned his head, all movement feeling sluggish, and saw Fergus standing in front of a fireplace, "No contact for so long? After all that you went through? Doesn't it make you question everything?"_

_Gus thought that yes, it did. He hated that. He hated that the comfort of the past was dwindling. _

"_You're needed. Help me out, Gus, you know I'm pretty naive about these kinds of things," Alistair's voice piped up and Gus knew he was now standing next to him. _

"_You're a bit like me," said Fergus. _

"_It was a bad idea to let her walk away, son," Bryce Cousland said, appearing next to Fergus. "You gave up." _

_Gus' emptiness began to morph into desperation as he strained to fully comprehend what was happening. It wasn't his choice. He didn't want to die, or see the death of another, when it wasn't necessary. It was part of the deal. _

_He attempted to stand and turn to look around the room, which was bleary and out of focus, for Morrigan. She was not there. _Oh_, he thought, _that's right. We agreed she'd leave.

"_Don't be so down, Gus. You have us. You know-"_

_Suddenly, the dream faded and the words were lost to Gus' consciousness. He tried to recapture the scene, but failed. _

When Gus woke a few hours later he winced with pain. His neck and upper back ached like someone had stuck a knife in his spine and left it there for the night. He heaved himself up and attempted to stretch out the muscles by moving his arms into uncomfortable positions; which he instantly regretted.

"Maker," he whispered as he exhaled deeply. He had escaped the aches and pains of riding for days on end just to seize his muscles lying on a cave floor. His sleeping mat did little for comfort, it seemed. As the muddy veil of sleep lifted his mind was filled with images of his dream. He couldn't remember the details but the emotions it caused were rooted deep and gave him goose bumps. He had the overwhelming urge to see Morrigan, even though he could not reach her through the Eluvian.

As the feeling of residual dread that often accompanied a bad dream dissipated he began to grow pissed off again. _Why hasn't she bloody well let me in? _Only then did it occur to him that maybe he had pissed _her _off; but what could he possibly have done?

He walked over to the Eluvian and thumped on its heavy frame.

"MORRIGAN!" He yelled, more for personal satisfaction than actual gain. There was no way she could hear him.

_This is ridiculous_, he thought, _she must know I'm here!_

He thought of how helpless he felt not being able to find her in his dream and realised what had made him feel so anxious.

It was okay for Morrigan, she knew where he was at all times. Up until now she hadn't needed to use the ring and Gus didn't spare a thought about what it meant. No matter how much she scoffed about not needing him before he left at least she had a direct connection to him. He got a kick out of walking around with her ring, knowing what it meant, but it was so much more than sentimentality for Morrigan. He knew what his dream was capitalising on. The memories of feeling abandoned.

He thought he didn't need to worry about such feelings anymore. The bond that he had forged with Morrigan over the years would seem unbreakable; but now he had been away and she was not there when he expected her to be his mind reverted right back to the cowering _boy _he had been seven years ago.

As he stood, alone, facing the towering Eluvian he felt isolated from both Kieran and Morrigan for the first time since the Battle of Denerim.

He was going to be away from them more often, he knew that, he also knew that he was not going let his old fears get the better of him. When Morrigan opened the _bloody portal _he was going to find a solution to this. Who knows how far his quest would take him? Or how long it would be until Morrigan finished her spell? They needed to be able to communicate no matter how far apart they were…Gus couldn't face having Morrigan fade into the shadows with their son again; no matter how dire the circumstances.

Gus knew she wasn't going to like it; but he also knew she would understand.

He also _hoped_ she would get her act together and open the Eluvian portal.

* * *

As the sun shifted to the latter half of the sky Gus began to grow genuinely worried. He had moved out of the cave as the sun rose and had since made himself comfortable just west of the entrance, propped up against the outer cave wall. The sun was hitting him in deep yellow streaks through the plant life and warming his bones.

"Maker help me where is that woman?" He muttered under his breath. A few minutes later when he began to think about food and the prospect of spending another night lying in a cave he heard hurried small footsteps from within.

"Father! Father!"

It was Kieran.

Gus whirled around and circled back into the cave, seeing the boy at the cusp of the entrance.

"Kieran!" He called and took the last couple of long strides to meet him. He crouched down and wrapped his arms around him. "What are you doing out here? Where is your mother?"

"She's inside," Kieran mumbled into Gus' shoulder, "She's unwell, she said 'get your father and come straight back'."

"Well we'd better do what she says then. Come on." Gus released Kieran and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards the Eluvian. It was now alight with magic. Gus pushed Kieran through ahead and stepped through himself into the eerily familiar light of the Crossroads. As soon as he regained his bearings his eyes fell to the figure huddled by the fire, wrapped in their blanket from the tent.

Both him and Kieran approached Morrigan with haste. As he reached a few steps away, he stopped.

"Morrigan," he called softly. Her bowed head lazily rose to look at him as Gus reached her side. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, 'tis nothing wrong. I have solved the spell. I can keep Flemeth away."

The sheer exhaustion in her tone was elapsed by pride. She looked into Gus' eyes and he saw them alive with power.

"My magic is powerful enough to truly defy her, my love. Soon we will never have to worry about Flemeth again."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

As you can see my hopes of once a week updating have failed. So, in the interest of transparency I'm going to tell the truth which is I don't know when I'll next update. I hate that, but that's the way it is. When I started writing I had the first three chapters to play around with in tandem before any of them were published and whilst it started off okay writing as I published, I haven't been able to sustain it.

It is partly due to time, partly due to a diminishing desire to write because I feel inspired and interested and instead doing it because I needed to keep to schedule. Which would be fine if I wasn't a taskmaster with it all.

So, I want to give a thanks to Tornado for being understanding and Lucky for being a stand up beta. I personally know how sodding shit it is when writers do this on here.

What am I actually doing?

I'm just saying there's not a schedule anymore. Not a schedule, but a deadline. I want to finish this story by September. This may seem far away but in the timescale of my life, knowing how much of this I've got planned, it's not that far. Finish and published by September. That might mean no updates until the end of August, but the whole story published in one go. It might be, I don't know. We'll see.

In regards to this actual chapter, its transitional; what can I say. Not sure if I like it but didn't want to be that arse who updates with only an author's note. Also, Isabela cameo because it popped into my head and I love her character. 


End file.
